UN Report Urges Move Beyond GDP, Scientists Called to Action

A landmark UN report, 'Counting What Counts', launched by Secretary-General António Guterres, proposes 31 indicators to replace GDP as the primary measure of economic health. The report argues that GDP growth has coincided with inequality and environmental degradation. It recommends a committee of scientists develop headline indicators, with Spain and Guyana tasked to advance the recommendations. The report notes that 15 of the 31 indicators align with UN Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative is seen as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to correct GDP's flaws, though previous efforts like the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) by Herman Daly and John B. Cobb Jr. (1989) are not referenced.